Santos Festival of Cycling 2021 – Stage 2 [FULL STAGE] (ladies)

January 22, 2021

Santos Festival of Cycling 2021 – Stage 2 – Birdwood – Lobethal : 97,3 km

The men’s and women’s Tour Down Under may be cancelled this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic but the racing is still continuing in South Australia with a four-day National Road Series (NRS) event. The Santos Festival of Cycling NRS race will run from Thursday, January 21 to Sunday, January 24 with domestic riders getting the opportunity to take on a number of WorldTour and Women’s WorldTour racers returning home for the Australian summer. Both the women’s and men’s event will travel through the towns and countryside surrounding Adelaide, tackling the popular climb of Willunga Hill on stage 3 and finishing with a criterium on the outskirts of the city.

Sarah Gigante (Team Garmin Australia) won the second stage of the women’s racing at the Santos Festival of Cycling, using the climb halfway through to escape before settling in for a solo ride of more than 40 kilometres to the Lobethal finish line.

Attempts to pull back the gap were all in vain, with the efforts behind barely making a dent in the time gap so ultimately the sprint for the rest of the podium occurred 1:54 after a beaming Gigante threw her hands in the air in victory. Georgia Baker (Team Garmin Australia) took the sprint for second and stage 1 winner Peta Mullens (Roxsolt LIV Sram) rounded out the podium for the lumpy 97.3 kilometre stage of the National Road Series race.

“I feel pretty exhausted but that was so much fun. I can’t believe it,” said Gigante straight after the stage.

“When I saw I crested with just the two riders from the breakaway, Bree Wilson and Chelsea Holmes, I was like ‘oh my gosh this is so cool, this is so exciting, what do I do?’ And the reason I love cycling is I love going hard, so that was my logical solution.”

That long solo from the 20-year-old Australian time trial champion has left her in prime position on the GC. Gigante leads the overall with a 1:53 gap to her nearest rival, Peta Mullens and Ruby Roseman-Gannon (ARA Pro-Racing Sunshine Coast) sits another four seconds back in third position. Lucy Kennedy (Team BikeExchange), a powerful performer on the climbs, sits in tenth at 2:10 behind.

How it unfolded

As the peloton headed out from the Birdwood the wrangling to get in the early break, of what was expected to be a stage for the sprinters, began with Bree Wilson (Roxsolt LIV Sram) tasting success and then she was joined by Chelsea Holmes (Giant Racing Team).

The pair initially held firm when Gigante took advantage of the 1.4-kilometre Hawthorn climb just half way through the stage to launch a stinging attack that split the field. However, it wasn’t long before they too faded and Gigante settled in for a long solo ride and continuing to stretch out the gap to all her rivals. First, it went beyond one minute and then two as the group behind hesitated, with riders scrambling to return after that peloton splintering attack.

“By the time there was any real cohesiveness behind it was too little too late and it was a ridiculously strong ride by Sarah,” said Team BikeExchange’s Kennedy.

Now, the Team TIBCO-SVB rider, who is racing for Team Garmin Australia at the event, has a gap of nearly two minutes on her nearest rivals to carry into stage 3, where the women’s field gets to race up Willunga Hill for the first-time in the highly anticipated 48.8-kilometre stage.

Results :
1 Sarah Gigante (Team Garmin Australia) 2:29:06
2 Georgia Baker (Team Garmin Australia) 0:01:54
3 Peta Mullens (Roxsolt LIV Sram)
4 Matilda Raynolds (Specialized Women’s Racing)
5 Annette Edmondson (Team Garmin Australia)
6 Ruby Roseman-gannon (ARA Pro-Racing Sunshine Coast Women)
7 Amber Pate (South Australian Institue of Sport)
8 Laura Luxford (Specialized Women’s Racing)
9 Alexandra Manly (Team BikeExchange)
10 Elizabeth Stannard (Specialized Women’s Racing)Sydney Uni Staminade
11 Nicole Frain (Sydney Uni Staminade)
12 Neve Bradbury (Team Garmin Australia)
13 Maeve Plouffe (Team Garmin Australia)
14 Ella Bloor (Specialized Women’s Racing)
15 Danielle de Francesco (Specialized Women’s Racing)
16 Sarah roy (Team BikeExchange) 0:01:57
17 Anya Louw (ARA Pro-Racing Sunshine Coast Women)
18 Lucy Kennedy (Team BikeExchange)
19 Carlee Taylor (Roxsolt LIV Sram)
20 Cassia Boglio (Velofit Australia)
21 Chelsea Holmes (Giant Racing Team)
22 Loretta Hanson (Team Garmin Australia)
23 Breeana Hargrave (Specialized Women’s Racing)
24 Darcie Richards (Velofit Australia)
25 Hailey Mason (Butterfields Racing)
26 Hannah Seeliger (Butterfields Racing)
27 Holly Harris (Specialized Women’s Racing)
28 Staci Mccudden (StepFWD IT Suzuki)
29 Grace Brown (Team BikeExchange)
30 Ashlee Akundinoff (Team Garmin Australia)
31 Haylee Fuller (Sydney Uni Staminade) 0:02:05
32 Alana Forster (Unattached) 0:02:32
33 Bree Wilson (Roxsolt LIV Sram)
34 Alexandra Martin Wallace (ARA Pro-Racing Sunshine Coast Women) 0:08:20
35 Shannon Mccurley (Unattached)
36 Jessica Lawler (Velofit Australia)
37 Holly Lubcke (ARA Pro-Racing Sunshine Coast Women)
38 Erin Bertram (Velofit Australia)
39 Jennifer Darmody (Sydney Uni Staminade)
40 Nicole Mitsigeorgis (Veris Racing Women’s Team) 0:08:23
41 Brittany Petersen (Butterfields Racing)
42 Sophie Edwards (ARA Pro-Racing Sunshine Coast Women)
43 Sa?ron Button (Roxsolt LIV Sram)
44 Amalia Langham (StepFWD IT Suzuki)
45 Kelly Fettes (Butterfields Racing)
46 Emily Fowler (StepFWD IT Suzuki)
47 Jessica Allen (Team BikeExchange)
48 Isabella Flint (Roxsolt LIV Sram)
49 Nicola Macdonald (Roxsolt LIV Sram)
50 Courtney Sherwell (Roxsolt LIV Sram)
51 Pia Smith (StepFWD IT Suzuki)
52 Kate Bonner (Velofit Australia)
53 Katarina Chung-orr (South Australian Institue of Sport)
54 Victoria Barry (Velofit Australia)
55 Catelyn Turner (Sydney Uni Staminade)
56 Libby Young (Butterfields Racing)
57 Fleur Wellings (South Australian Institue of Sport)
58 Celia Cowan (South Australian Institue of Sport)
59 Emma Viotto (Giant Racing Team) 0:08:30
60 Lauren Perry (ARA Pro-Racing Sunshine Coast Women) 0:17:35
61 Stephanie Corset (Veris Racing Women’s Team)
62 Kirsty Deacon (Veris Racing Women’s Team)
63 Gemma Mollenhauer (Giant Racing Team)
dnf Ella Falzarano (Giant Racing Team)
dnf Sue ann Woodwiss (Butterfields Racing)

General Classification after Stage 2 :
1 Sarah Gigante (Team Garmin Australia) 4:47:24
2 Peta Mullens (Roxsolt LIV Sram) 0:01:53
3 Ruby Roseman-gannon (ARA Pro-Racing Sunshine Coast Women) 0:01:57
4 Nicole Frain (Sydney Uni Staminade) 0:02:03
5 Matilda Raynolds (Specialized Women’s Racing) 0:02:06
6 Neve Bradbury (Team Garmin Australia) 0:02:07
7 Laura Luxford (Specialized Women’s Racing)
8 Elizabeth Stannard (Specialized Women’s Racing)Sydney Uni Staminade
9 Danielle de Francesco (Specialized Women’s Racing)
10 Lucy Kennedy (Team BikeExchange) 0:02:10
11 Anya Louw (ARA Pro-Racing Sunshine Coast Women)
12 Carlee Taylor (Roxsolt LIV Sram)
13 Holly Harris (Specialized Women’s Racing) 0:02:21
14 Georgia Baker (Team Garmin Australia) 0:03:13
15 Amber Pate (South Australian Institue of Sport) 0:03:19
16 Alexandra Manly (Team BikeExchange)
17 Ella Bloor (Specialized Women’s Racing)
18 Chelsea Holmes (Giant Racing Team)
19 Ashlee Akundinoff (Team Garmin Australia) 0:03:20
20 Grace Brown (Team BikeExchange) 0:03:21
21 Breeana Hargrave (Specialized Women’s Racing) 0:03:22
22 Darcie Richards (Velofit Australia)
23 Hailey Mason (Butterfields Racing)
24 Cassia Boglio (Velofit Australia)
25 Staci Mccudden (StepFWD IT Suzuki)
26 Haylee Fuller (Sydney Uni Staminade) 0:03:30
27 Annette Edmondson (Team Garmin Australia) 0:03:33
28 Loretta Hanson (Team Garmin Australia) 0:03:37
29 Alana Forster (Unattached) 0:03:54
30 Bree Wilson (Roxsolt LIV Sram) 0:03:56
31 Sarah roy (Team BikeExchange) 0:05:22
32 Hannah Seeliger (Butterfields Racing)
33 Maeve Plouffe (Team Garmin Australia) 0:07:39
34 Victoria Barry (Velofit Australia) 0:09:48
35 Emma Viotto (Giant Racing Team) 0:09:55
36 Jennifer Darmody (Sydney Uni Staminade) 0:11:43
37 Holly Lubcke (ARA Pro-Racing Sunshine Coast Women) 0:11:45
38 Sophie Edwards (ARA Pro-Racing Sunshine Coast Women) 0:11:48
39 Courtney Sherwell (Roxsolt LIV Sram)
40 Pia Smith (StepFWD IT Suzuki)
41 Jessica Allen (Team BikeExchange)
42 Nicola Macdonald (Roxsolt LIV Sram)
43 Catelyn Turner (Sydney Uni Staminade)
44 Kelly Fettes (Butterfields Racing) 0:12:58
45 Brittany Petersen (Butterfields Racing) 0:13:08
46 Libby Young (Butterfields Racing)
47 Erin Bertram (Velofit Australia) 0:14:05
48 Nicole Mitsigeorgis (Veris Racing Women’s Team) 0:14:08
49 Kate Bonner (Velofit Australia)
50 Alexandra Martin Wallace (ARA Pro-Racing Sunshine Coast Women) 0:16:14
51 Shannon Mccurley (Unattached)
52 Isabella Flint (Roxsolt LIV Sram) 0:17:29
53 Katarina Chung-orr (South Australian Institue of Sport)
54 Stephanie Corset (Veris Racing Women’s Team) 0:19:00
55 Jessica Lawler (Velofit Australia) 0:21:49
56 Sa?ron Button (Roxsolt LIV Sram) 0:21:52
57 Fleur Wellings (South Australian Institue of Sport)
58 Celia Cowan (South Australian Institue of Sport) 0:23:46
59 Amalia Langham (StepFWD IT Suzuki) 0:27:31
60 Kirsty Deacon (Veris Racing Women’s Team) 0:27:45
61 Emily Fowler (StepFWD IT Suzuki) 0:27:59
62 Gemma Mollenhauer (Giant Racing Team) 0:28:53
63 Lauren Perry (ARA Pro-Racing Sunshine Coast Women) 0:36:43